Adjsutable drawer guide



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 \6J \s L I M. HAYES ADJUSTABLE DRAWER GUIDE Fichi.

May 23, 1961 Filed oct. 9, 1959 I g l5 WwW/ :ESE O 4 INVENToR. LLOYD M. HAYES AT1-onus? Fica. 3.

May 23, 1961 M. HAYES 2,985,491

ADJUSTABLE DRAWER GUIDE Filed Oct. 9, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 s G FiG.4=.

INVENTOR. Fc" 5' LLoYD M. HAYES,

Tranne# Unite States Patent ADJUSTABLE DRAWER GUIDE Lloyd M. Hayes, 2270 Sunshine Blvd., West Hollywood, Fla.

Filed Oct. 9, 1959, Ser. No. 845,341

i1 Claim. (Cl. 30S-3.8)

This invention relates to trackway mechanism for the slidable support of drawer devices commonly employed in furniture and contemplates trackway devices that permit of the maximum drawer extension.

The invention contemplates a drawer trackway mechanism that is adapted to support drawers for sliding movement into and out of an article of furniture in a manner whereby the drawer is supported within an opening in the forward wall of the furniture to closely conform to the opening and with the drawer track mechanism embodying an upper supporting trackway that is iixedly supported to side sections of the case that defines the drawer opening and a cooperating trackway that is fixed to each side of the drawer to be parallel with the rst track and that is movable under the influence of the movement of the drawer and with a roller device being supported by the lower trackway and that has traverse engagement Within the upper trackway and a roller device supported within the lower trackway that is supported from the upper trackway and whereby the drawer is supported throughout its travel against downward tilting motion.

A further object of the invention resides in a trackway mechanism having a pair of trackways for each side of the drawer, including an upper trackway that is iixedly secured in a horizontal manner to the case side of the furniture and with the lower trackway being fixed with respect to the sides of the drawer to 4be parallel with the iirst trackway and with each of the trackways at their end portions being provided with supporting means whereby a roller device is journaled in the upper trackway and supported by the lower trackway and a roller device supported in the lower trackway to be supported and journaled by the upper trackway and with the roller devices each being laterally adjustable to provide alignment of the drawer face with respect to the opening in the face of the `furniture and with the roller also being vertically adjustable to control the tilting movement of the drawer and with the rollers functioning to guide the drawer in its slding movement against tilting and lateral motion whereby the drawer can be adjusted to a relatively fine degree to closely conform to the opening in the face of the furniture for the drawer face.

`Novel features of construction and operation of the device will be more clearly understood by reference to the accompanying drawings wherein has been illustrated a preferred form of the device and wherein like characters of reference are employed to denote like parts throughout the several figures.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a conventional drawer showing the invention applied thereto,

Figure 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of a drawer device and one adjacent case forming member, showing the invention assembled thereto,

'Figure 3 is a section taken substantially on line 3--3 of Figure 1,

' preferably formed of nylon.

Patented May 23, 1961 Figure 4 is a section taken substantially on line 4 4 of Figure 3,

Figure 5 is a section taken substantially on line 5 5 of Figure l,

Figure 6 is a slightly enlarged section taken on line 6--6 of Figure 5, and

Figure 7 is a modified form of adjusting means for the lateral adjustment of either the rollers 17 or 18.

Referring specifically to the drawings, there has been illustrated a drawer having a faceA panel 5, side walls 6 and a bottom 7. A rear wall will obviously be employed to close the rear end of the drawer as is customary. The face plate 5 extends outwardly beyond the sides 6 and is adapted to engage within an opening in the forward side of the furniture to be closely aligned therewith and to be substantially flush with the forward side of the furniture. The opening for the drawer is defined by case members 8 as is customary yand that also functions to define the opening for the reception of the drawer.

Means are provided to slidably support the drawer within the drawer opening and to provide roller devices that function to support the drawer throughout its sliding motion into and out of the opening, such means embodying an upper trackway 9 and a lower trackway 10. The upper trackway 9 is of channel formation in cross section, provided along its marginal edges with opposed track forming anges 11. The track 9 is xedly secured to the side of the case mem-bers 8 in a horizontal manner by screws or the like 12. At its forward end, the track 9 is provided with a depending plate 13, that overlies the lower trackway 10. The lower trackway 1i) is substantially identical in cross section to the trackway 9 and has opposed flanges 14. The trackway 1t) is fixedly connected to the sides 6 of the drawer, by screws or like fastening devices 15. The track 10 at its rear end is provided with an upstanding plate 16 that overlies the upper track 9.

VRotatably supported upon the plate 13, is a grooved pulley 17, that has traverse engagement upon the flanges 14 of the lower track 10. Rotatably supported upon the plate 16 for traverse engagement with the flanges 11, is a grooved pulley 18. The pulleys 17 and 18 are The mounting means for the pulleys 17 and 18 is substantially identical and comprises a concentric nylon hub portion 19, that is circumferentially grooved at 20, to receive an inner circumferential bead 21 carried by the hub 19 and whereby the hub may be snapped into rotatable engagement with the pulleys 17 and 18 so that the pulleys are freely rotatable upon the hubs 19. Means are provided to support the hubs 19 with respect to the plates 13 and 16 such supporting means comprising a splined sleeve 22 that has splined engagement within spline grooves 23 that are yformed in the hubs 19 eccentric thereto. Each of the splined sleeves 22 are supported upon threaded shafts 24. :Each of the shafts are threaded at their inner ends as at 25 to have threaded engagement within sockets 25 that are non-rotatably seated within recesses formed in the case members 8. The shafts 24 of the upper pulleys 18 are threaded into corresponding sockets seated within recesses formed in the sides 6 of the drawer and with the shafts passing through corresponding openings formed in the plates 13 and 16. lEach of the shafts 24 carry a collar 26, that bears between the plates 13 and`16 and the inner end of the sleeves 22. The forward end of the shafts 24 may be slotted or formed square or any other shape to facilitate turning movement of the shaft for a lateral adjustment of the roller devices toward and from the plates 13 and 16. Such lateral motion being under the inuence of the turning movement of the shafts 24 and the threaded engagement within the sockets 25. Such lateral movement obviously, will shift the 3 Y drawer in a lateral motion to properly align the face plate 5 with the ends of the openings in the furniture.

The rollers 17 and 18 are also adjustable vertically, such adjustment being possible by sliding the hubs 19 from the splines of the sleeve 22 and then Abodily rotating the hub in an eccentric manner to engage the splines at varying points to thereby elevate or lower the trackways to properly align the face plate `5 with the upper and lower side of the furniture opening. The threaded ends 25 of the shafts 24 have a tight frictional engagement within the threaded sockets 25 so that lateral adjust-ment may be effectively held.V The shafts 24 are xedly supported within the sleeves 22 so as to prevent the sleeves from turning with respect to the shafts.

lIn the use of the device, the upper trackways 9 are connected to the sides of the case members 8, by the screws 12. The lower trackways 10 are then connected to the opposite side walls 6 of the drawer so that the trackways are slightly spaced apart horizontally. The roller devices are then connected respectively to the sides of the drawer 6 and to the case members 8 and the drawer then shifted into position with the upper roller 8 entering the leading end of the trackway 9 and the lower roller 17 entering into the leading end of the trackway 10. Should the drawer bind at either side, it is removed and lateral adjustments made with respect to the rollers 17 or 18, through the turning movement -of the shafts 24. With the lateral motion determined so that the end portions of the face plate 5 accurately engage the opening of the furniture, the drawer is then reinserted as before and, should the drawer be tilted or dragged within the opening, the drawer is then again withdrawn and either the rollers 17 or 18 shifted from the splined sleeves 22 and the hubs 19 rotated a partial turn and reengaged with the spline sleeves 22, thus either raising or lowering the drawer at either end. With the drawer properly adjusted in the trackways, movement will be in a true horizontal manner, permitting the face plate 5 to closely conform to the opening in the forward side of the furniture.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Figure 7, there -has been provided a threaded stud 27 that is riveted at one end to either the plates 13 or 16. Threadedly engaged upon the stud 27 for adjustable movement thereon, is a splined sleeve 28, having an inner ange 29. The ange 29 will bear against the hubs 19, as in the first form of the device and functions to shift the hubs 19 and their supported rollers 17 or 18 in a lateral motion. 'I'he operation of this `form of the invention is substantially identical to that previously described but, provides a structure that is particularly adaptable to metal furniture where it is not practicable to insert the socket members 25.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that a very novel form of trackway means has been provided for the sliding movement of drawers or the like and the structure is such that the drawer may be adjusted laterally at either end and may be adjusted vertically at either end thus, accurately guiding the drawer within the drawer opening. The trackways are preferably extruded from a suitable light weight metal, while the rollers as before stated are formed of nylon, having a relatively long life as a bearing member and are quiet in their traversing along the trackways. After the drawer has been adjusted, it will maintain such adjustment throughout its use. The plates 13 and 16 may be extruded as an integral part of the trackways 9 and 10 or the plates may be welded or otherwise iixedly connected to the respective end portions of the trackways 9 and 10. The device is simple in construction, is strong, durable, cheap to manufacture and highly effective as a means for adjustably supporting drawer devices in their traverse movement.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise construction shown, but that changes are contemplated as readily fall within the spirit of the invention as shall be determined by the scope of the subjoined claim.

Having described my invention, what l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A drawer guide of the character ydescribed for accurate shifting movement of the drawer into and out of a recess formed in an article of furniture and whereby a face plate of the drawer is accurately aligned with a forward opening of the recess to` be flush with the articleof furniture, the guide including upper channeled trackways having track flanges that are secured to a case member of the drawer opening, a lower trackway of channel formation having track flanges that are connected to the opposite sides of the drawer in parallel spaced relation to the upper trackways, supporting plates xed to the forward end of the upper trackways and that extend downwardly to overlie the forward end of the -lower trackways, supporting plates carried by the lower trackways at their rear end and that extend upwardly to overlie the upper trackways, a journal deviceV carried by the first named supporting plates for rotatably supporting grooved rollers that has traverse engagement upon the flanges of the lower trackway, grooved rollers journaled with respect to the second named supporting plate and journaled in the second named supporting plate for rotatable engagement with the anges of the upper trackway, the said journals for each of the rollers being laterally adjustable for controlling the horizontal angularity of the drawer with respect to the drawer recess, the mounting of the several rollers upon their journals being in an eccentric manner and with the eccentrics being adjustable to adjust the rollers vertically to control the vertical angularity of the drawer with respect to the recess, the said rollers being vformed of nylon, each of the rollers having a nylon concentric hub portion that has interlocking and rotative engagement with the bands, the said journals each comprising a threaded stub shaft that is xed with respect to the sides of the drawer and with respect to the sides of the case members, a spline sleeve threadedly engaged upon the stub shaft and that engages within a spline opening within the hub portion eccentric thereto, the said sleeve being provided with a flange at its inner end that has a bearing engagement against the side of the hub portion to laterally adjust the hub portion and the band toward and from sides of the drawer and the case members.

References Cited in the ile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 451,071 Quick Apr. 28, 1891 856,299 Rieker June l1, 1907 1,321,081 Behn Nov. 11, 1919 2,349,084 -Findley May 16, 1944 2,873,150 Hutzelman Feb. 10, 1959 2,898,159 Arnit Aug. 4, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 168,385 Germany May 31, 1905 

